


X's and Olivia's: Deux

by goodgreycious



Series: X's and Olivia's [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: BROTP Steve and Dustin, Background Relationships, Budding Romance, F/M, Mild Cursing, Original Female Characters - Freeform, Protect Steve, Romance, Steve doesn't know how to handle emotions part 2, The Flower Shop AU you didn't know could exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 03:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14300175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodgreycious/pseuds/goodgreycious
Summary: "Her eyes stopped on a red rose bud that hadn't quite bloomed to its fullest potential. Even to this day, she felt a twang in her heart every time she passed the section. Until she got a hold of herself and remembered that a half an hour of helping him buy flowers for his girlfriend (who may or may not have broken up with him), a MONTH ago was not a sturdy enough foundation for whatever had occurred that day."Or, the One Where Steve Comes Back. Special appearance by Dustin.Part Two of the Flower Shop AU that No One Knew Existed. Branch off AU post Stranger Things 2





	X's and Olivia's: Deux

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it's been around a month since my first story and about a month since Steve has been back to X's and Olivia's. Let's catch up on what's been going on, shall we?
> 
> If you haven't read the first part in this series, then this story probably won't make a whole lot of sense. So please, give that a read before reading this one! This is now, officially, a post-canon AU since we are picking up around the time of Snowball. Enjoy :) Side note: the increase in rating is for mild cursing from everyone's favorite dynamic duo.
> 
> Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine. Anything you don't is all me.

Winter was always a slow time of year for florists, but Hawkins had a way of keeping _X's and Olivia's,_ their local flower shop, as busy as ever. Along with the winter chill and the orders for Christmas flowers for local churches, the town also had Snowball. And while Aimee didn't quite understand the hype around the equivalent of a prom for pre-pubescent tweenagers, some of the kids were downright adorable coming in to buy flowers for their dates. They definitely kept her and the namesake of the store, her mom Olivia, on their toes. If she was being honest, Aimee had to admit she would much rather deal with the children than their overactive, helicopter mothers any day of the week. The nerve of some women.  
  
However, even with a little over a week left to Snowball, the day had been slow and customers had been steady, but scarce. Every fiber of her being was fighting looking to their clock that sat just behind her stool. The last time she had looked at the godforsaken thing was when her last customer left at exactly 4:07 PM, just fifty three minutes shy of closing. She had even sent her mom home to relax a little before 3:45, just because there was so little to do. She had already swept the floor, checked the temps of the coolers, replenished the water in the buckets, and trimmed up the flowers. Looking back at the clock, it read 4:24 PM. She most certainly did not let out a very audible sigh at the sight.  
  
Given the store was empty and it didn't feel like anyone was going to come around anytime soon, she remembered the cut-back and forgotten blooms from the day that had accumulated in the back and decided to kill the rest of her shift. Her and her mom used to do this when they first opened the store, taking the flowers that looked a little worse for wear and making something beautiful out of them. But, when business picked up, they had both gotten out of the habit. _Well, until now,_ thought Aimee as she went to go get them from the back.   
  
Setting them out on her front counter and sitting in her stool, she took stock of what was left. There were seasonal buds making an appearance in some wayward honeywort, violets, and one of her personal winter favorites, sweet peas mixed in with some of the heavier year-round hitters. Her eyes stopped on a red rose bud that hadn't quite bloomed to its fullest potential. Even to this day, she felt a twang in her heart every time she passed the section. Until she got a hold of herself and remembered that a half an hour of helping him buy flowers for his girlfriend ( _who may or may not have broken up with him_ , her traitorous mind whispered), a MONTH ago was not a sturdy enough foundation for whatever had occurred that day.   
  
Aimee picked up the rose and let one of her fingers brush over it gently, reminiscent of the day that they had met. She had never encountered anyone quite like Steve Harrington. Sure, Cassie discussed him the way all girls do back when she was at Talbot. But, when she moved to Hawkins, she never thought he'd wander into her flower shop looking so adorably out of place and confused. She smiled and allowed herself to remember what it was like look into those chocolate eyes that held so much more compassion than he realized. She remembered how warm she felt when their hands were intertwined. She remembered the full weight of him crashing into her back and then, as the thought process always does, she drifted back to why he was there in the first place that day. Whoever his girl was- Natalie or something- she hoped she had at least liked the roses.  
  
Once again, she shook herself out of the thoughts of what-was-not-to-be as her mom so deemed it as she refocused in on arranging the flowers in front of her. Maybe her mom would let her take the car after the shop closed to she could bring the arrangement to the-  
  
“Jesus Christ, does it matter if I'm bringing a date or not? My mom just said every man in a suit should have one of the boat-and-ear things,” she heard a young voice yell over the sound of the two bells her mom had hung over the front entrance.   
  
“It's called a boutonniere, shit head. And the whole point is that it matches the flowers you get the girl you're brining to the damn thing.” A familiar voice griped, an odd mixture of annoyance and warmth coloring his tone. A timbre Aimee wasn't inclined to forget no matter how many pints of ice cream she swore she did not make her mother buy for her.  
  
Her head whipped up and barely registered the younger kid with his olive colored skin, offended looking face, and brown curls covered by an obviously well-worn and loved white, blue and red hat. No, her eyes went straight for his. He hadn't changed that much, she noticed in her first glance over. There was something different about his face, but she couldn't quite place it, like she was missing a part of the story. He seemed a little more relaxed than last time and a bit more melancholy, if she was being astute. But it didn't matter because against all odds, he had come back. And she wasn't entirely sure what to make of that fact at this particular moment. Was she drowning in his eyes, maybe drooling a little bit? _Pull yourself together woman, you're better than this._  
  
Not to be outdone, Steve was staring right back. Of course he knew what he was walking into after the time away. When he had brought Dustin home on a rainy day from school last week, his mom had mentioned that she wanted him to have something on his lapel for Snowball and kindly asked if he would take her little boy to the local flower shop to get it. Out of instinct he said yes. It wasn't until he had actually been driving home that it registered that it might mean he would get to see Aimee again. Her hazel tinted gaze was just as inquisitive as he remembered. She was sitting on that stool of hers, almost exactly as he had left her. Today, she boasted a soft blue and white striped long sleeve shirt sans the green apron from before. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail that had obviously gotten messier over the day. Her cheeks looked like they had a few healthy smudges of dirt. A little bit flustered and a little bit dirty? Steve gulped and hoped it wasn't as audible as he thought it was.  
  
It wasn't like he hadn't thought about her ~~profusely~~ a few times over the past month. It went without saying that what happened the day he left the flower shop did NOT go according to the plan he left with, everything just going shit instead. He lost Nancy, which still stung no matter how he tried to slice it. The person that meant the most to him over the past year, gone like water that he couldn't keep trapped in his fingers. That's what Nancy was, water. Powerful enough to erode mountains, soothing to be around, and destined to slip away. Yet, when he was finished thinking about Nancy and licking his still-open wounds, his thoughts always seemed to end up in the little green building, with the silver bells and the girl who's laugh matched them. If Nancy was water, Aimee was the earth, powerful enough to knock you back with her soft beauty and keep you basking in her presence. She was warm like the sun and comforting like fresh grass between your feet. Not that Steve had started to wax poetic or anything. He paid attention in English class... sometimes.   
  
But he knew Aimee didn't deserve half-assed attention from him. One year and a quasi-fruitful enough relationship later, Steve wasn't the expert on being the best boyfriend, but he had some stuff figured out. Steve wasn't even sure he was over Nancy, let alone the fact that he was still processing everything else that happened. And now he had a mini-me that took up most of his attention. He may have lost Nancy, but in some weird way, the affection of Dustin and his friends was making up for it. They were almost like a salve, just trying to make Steve feel better about everything. But not even Dustin could soothe this ache he had in his chest. In his gut, he knew what coming back to _X's and Olivia's_ would mean. It would mean filing that hole. And he was scared shitless that he was never going to be ready for that or whatever it was he and Aimee were seemingly hurtling towards.   
  
“Hey, Beer-for-Brains, are you gonna shut the door? It's freezing outside.” Dustin's comment broke the tension and startled him enough that the wind pulled the door shut with more force than was probably necessary, making the bells clatter violently. Dustin just laughed at his expense before Steve shoved him back towards the counter, following slowly behind him.   
  
“Sorry about your door,” Dustin said with his signature grin as he approached Aimee.   
  
“Sadly, I think it's the most exciting thing to happen all day,” she laughed gently. Steve relaxed almost unknowingly. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the little things like her voice or that tiny laugh. She was keeping her eyes on Dustin though, hardly sparing him a glance but it was fine. He was content to just observe her for a little while longer. “My name is Aimee. What brings you to _X's and O's_ today?”   
  
“I'm Dustin, this is my less handsome and intelligent compatriot Steve and I need to buy a... a baton-ire-”  
  
“Boutonniere, dipshit.”  
  
“Yeah, one of those, for Snowball. Your most expensive one, please. Steve's paying.” He almost swung at the hat-covered head more out of habit than wanting to do actual damage, but he would have settled for either reasoning at this point. She flitted her eyes to him, warmth clear in her face. Like she could tell that the little man meant a lot to him. It was refreshing considering everyone else thought it was just plain weird that Steve “hung out” with a kid that young. Maybe it was better they didn't understand why.   
  
“Well it is Thursday, so all of the general pre-made ones we had for the week are gone,” he saw Dustin shoulders start to slump. “But, I'll make you a deal. If you tell me about your suit and promise to take good care of my gift, I can make you a custom one right now.” It was like Christmas came early for Dustin as his eyes lit back up and started speaking at a thousand words a second about the ensemble his mom had picked out for him. Steve gave her credit, she listened to Dustin with as much intent as she did him a month ago. As if every word the young genius said hung the moon. When Dustin got to the part about Steve driving him, her eyes, filled with Dustin's mirth as if by osmosis, flickered to his once again. He furrowed his brows as if to say, _are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to._ Her tiny mouth just ticked a bit up on both ends to answer, _there's nothing I'd rather be doing._  
  
“I think I have just the thing for you Dustin,” she started off her stool and started gathering some supplies. She took out a pencil and receipt paper and wrote a few things down, while the gears turned in her head. She ripped the paper and handed Dustin a list, which he took immediately. “Do you like treasure hunts?” Dustin nodded so hard, Steve thought his head was going to fall off. “If I give you my favorite pair of scissors, do you promise not to massacre my lovely flowers?” Another enthusiastic nod. “Ok, follow the labels on the displays and bring me back everything on that list specifically and I promise to make you something special.”   
  
As soon as the tool was in his hand, he sped off on the hunt. “Don't run with them you idiot,” Steve yelled after him. He was pretty sure Dustin just flipped him the bird as he turned a corner to another aisle out of sight. With only the cadence of Dustin's sneakers on the linoleum and the soft mumbled curses underneath his breath, Steve turned back towards Aimee.  
  
It was the same face as the last time when he caught her hands, except she wasn't red with embarrassment this time. More from happiness- whether at seeing him again, or witnessing the peculiar relationship he had with the middle-schooler, or just being in each other's company, he didn't know.  
  
“Hi,” both voices let out at the same time, followed by more chuckling. “You, uh,” he started as she gathered more supplies to set them on her counter, “you look good. I mean, nice. You look nice.” _Way to go Harrington, real smooth._  
  
“And you look... different,” she said with a smile.  
  
“Oh, really? Tell me Ms. Aimee, how am I different?”  
  
“I don't know, I haven't-” she cut off, stopping herself, though they both knew _seen you in so long_ was hanging in the air. “The best way I can describe it is lighter, I guess.”  
  
“But,” he added gently, sensing there was more she wanted to say but was afraid to.  
  
“But more sad too. Like the burden you last left with is just different than the one you walked in with now.” Steve wondered when she was ever going to stop surprising him. He always liked to believe he was a bit better at being closed off than most people, making up for it in a grandiose but, admittedly, shallow personality. Hell, he had made a whole high school career out of convincing people that's all he was. Her honesty wasn't meant to be hostile. She was just reading him like a goddamned book and instead of cracking under that pressure, he felt more relieved than anything. Like someone could finally  _see_.  
  
It just so happened that the whole encounter almost caused him to do the exact same thing as last time, which was word vomit the whole story of what had gone on in his time away, even if he did sound like a crazy person. Thankfully, Dustin came back to break the tension that was building between the two.  
  
“I think I got everything you asked for,” Dustin exclaimed, placing his findings down on the counter with more tenderness than Steve knew the young man possessed. While neither of the two men knew what flowers were laying out in front of her, Aimee looked at them all fondly before scooping them up and going to work. If the hat wasn't covering his head, Steve would've been ruffling his hair, but Dustin was smiling and so was Aimee, so once again, he was content.   
  
He and Dustin chatted while he kept Aimee in his periphery. They wandered around the store, taking in all the sights and smells and laughing trying to pronounce the names of everything. Every once and a while, he'd glance back at her. The passion and attention she had towards her work was obvious in everything that she did. From the way she handled the plants and tools to her body language. She was in her element which was a sight to behold.   
  
On the other side of the store, Aimee was tuning out the rest of the world as she fell into her rhythm. All the brain noise, the emotions of seeing Steve again, the drama of her personal life faded away as she threw her whole being into making this perfect little floral arrangement for Dustin. He was beyond adorable and it was clear in their interactions that the two boys in her shop meant a lot to each other. It only fueled her want to make this order perfect even more. Making boutonnieres were hardly Aimee's favorite thing. The fact that they were so small meant you had to be extra careful not to ruin the flowers, but also had to make sure they were strong enough to stay together and hold each other up. Thankfully, she had managed to get everything just so. Sighing happily and loud enough to catch the boys attention, she grabbed a pin and headed around to the front of the counter.   
  
Getting on her knees so she was eye level with Dustin, she placed the arrangement just out of sight. “No peeking,” she laughed at Dustin's impatience. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” She looked up at Steve as he did so, the affection in gaze clear as he looked right back, and shot him a wink. His eyes widened as he took in what she placed delicately in the younger boys outstreched hands. As soon as he felt the touch of the flowers, Dustin opened his eyes and gasped, letting out a small _awesome_ under his breath.  
  
Her whole face lit up even more, if that was possible, at Dustin's obvious reverence for her creation. This was the best part about her job and flowers in general. They were able to bring out such true emotions in people. The reactions that people had were just priceless. “May I?” She asked Dustin as she told him how to hold it while she was arranging the sweatshirt he was wearing to simulate a jacket.   
  
“Want to know a secret?” She whispered conspiratorially as Dustin nodded. “Flowers have a language all their own.” His eyes widened.   
  
“Without knowing it, you could say the nicest or the meanest of things without ever even knowing,” Steve finished almost unknowingly. Her eyes snapped to his. How could he remember that? It wasn't word for word what she had said last month, but her heart leapt at the fact that he remembered even slightly. Her smile grew even more and Steve found his widening in return. Looking back to Dustin, she continued. It only had three flowers to it, a calla lily with a teal interior being the back bone to the whole thing, with a nice little bunch of white flowers dangling near it, and some green leaves to tie it all together. It was wrapped in a wide cream ribbon with a smaller antique gold one tied like a bow at the front.  
  
“I chose these specifically for you, you know. A white calla lily can mean purity or innocence, which is a trait that should never be lost if you can help it. It reminds you to keep being kind and never lose your wonder.” She winked at Dustin now as he listened with rapt attention. “Now these little flowers here are sweet alyssum. Meant to symbolize a worth beyond beauty or the sweetness of the soul, so you never forget what matters in others and yourself. And the green sprig of laurel is for ambition. My own little testament to how smart I think you are. My dad used to say you could tell a lot about a man by the boutonniere he chose to wear.” She finished pinning it to his sweatshirt and bopped his nose sweetly as she stood up. “So how'd I do?”  
  
Dustin, ever impulsive but still aware of his surroundings, launched himself at her waist to wrap his arms around her middle whilst avoiding crushing the gift she just gave him. Aimee laughed and kept one hand on his arm and placed the other protectively around his head as Dustin put all his gratitude into his hug. Steve just watched in wonder from the sidelines. It was the happiest he'd seen Dustin in a while, knowing that stuff with Max and Lucas bothered him more than he let on. Dustin was a trooper, but the fact that Aimee paid attention to him and seemed to understand him so perfectly without even trying, he knew it was something the kid wouldn't forget anytime soon.  
  
“I'll take that as a yes,” she said as Dustin unwrapped himself, smile still plastered on his face. “I'm glad you like it! If you wanna see it on, you can use the bathroom in the back to check it out.” Dustin sped off immediately, causing the pair left to laugh even more. She turned around to start cleaning up the back counter, the whole exchange taking her far closer to 5 o'clock than she realized when she felt pressure on her hand. Familiar pressure.   
  
Steve had laid his hand over hers, stopping her movements and causing them to lock gazes again. Aimee almost had to step back at the emotion swirling through his eyes. There was warmth and gratitude, bewilderment and awe. The tension for earlier was back and everything in her wanted to surrender to it, no matter how much she inadvertently and tragically knew neither of them were ready for what they were both on the precipice of. Surprisingly, she didn't make the next move either, just focusing on how he leaned in and whispered a deep _thank you_ in her ear that she felt all the way down to her toes as she turned her head away at the last second.   
  
Her cheeks warmed instantly and by sheer force of will, she did not turn her face back to meet his gaze. She knew she would have kissed him and her fear of him rejecting her and possibly misreading the situation somehow managed to poison her elation at everything this day had deigned to bring her. He pulled back his body and hand when the back door swung open again, revealing a still smiling Dustin and she walked away back to the other side of the counter. Steve tried his best to not read into the literal wall she had put between them. Instead, he smiled more at the hitch in her breath and the blush still on her cheeks.   
  
As she put all her tools away and gathered up the forgotten (again) flowers in a bag to take with her when she left, she noticed the boys had taken her to 4:57 PM, just enough time to ring them up and finish her closing routine. Her heart fell at the fact that she wouldn't be able to spend more time with either of them. Her heart broke at the idea of not seeing Steve again in a month or even at all. To hide her anxiousness, she just continued to clean and hope he didn't notice the gloom that was threatening to overtake her being.  
  
In her haste to get things ready, a white rose had fallen off the counter unnoticed by Aimee. Steve went to pick it up, figuring he'd give it back to her, but instead pocketed it at the last second. He ruffled Dustin's hat covered head, noting the smile still on his face as he held the flowers in his hand. Finally, getting the last of her things together, she sat on the stool again, purse slung over her shoulder.  
  
“Shit, we didn't keep you did we?” Steve said, glancing at the clock behind her.  
  
“No, no!” She said quickly, trying to back track to make sure he knew how much she wanted to be here in this exact moment. “You guys just happened to be my last customers of the day and took me right to closing.”  
  
“Pay the lady Steve. She probably has better things to do than stand around and talk to you the rest of the day.” Dustin said. Steve huffed as Aimee's eyes widened. _No kid, there's really nothing I want more,_ she thought.   
  
“So, you are paying?” She said with a laugh.   
  
“Well, his mom is anyway,” he said, taking out the plastic Mrs. Henderson had given him.   
  
“Oh Steve, we have a $10 dollar minimum for cards here. His boutonniere is only $8.00.” He looked around and noticed the bag of left over flowers.   
  
“Hey Dustin, wanna bring your mom flowers?”  
  
“For what?” Dustin said, not understanding why he'd ever need to do such a thing.  
  
“Let's call it preparedness.” He smirked. “Can you just wrap up those you have left there?”  
  
“Are you sure?” She hesistated. “They're the old ones or the ones that didn't make it to bloom. They're not perfect, there are much better ones out there.”  
  
“Everything I want is right there and looking pretty perfect to me.” He mentally patted himself on the back as her blush returned, picking up his double meaning, and she gathered up the flowers to give to Dustin to carry. Just like before, their hands brushed as she took the card from his hand. Heart skipping a beat, she gave him a small receipt for him to sign and another to keep to give to Dustin's mom. She watched as his brow furrowed in concentration at the small thing and as he scratched out some gibberish to more or less pass as the cardholders name. He was about to give it back when, as if he forgot something, he scribbled down something at the bottom of it before handing it back.   
  
“C'mon Steve, let's go! I want to get home and change before I bike over to Mike's later! Thanks Aimee, my mom's gonna love everything!” Dustin said dragging him out as soon as he sensed Steve was done. Helpless to do nothing except be pulled along with Dustin, he acquiesced and said something quickly before the two were out of the building as if they had never been there in the first place.   
  
Stunned, Aimee pinched herself, just to check and make sure she wasn't dreaming. _I promise,_ he had said, only loud enough for her to hear. “What does that even mean?” She thought exasperatedly, flinging her hands up. His receipt that he had signed flitted to the ground.  
  
She let out a unladylike sound as she gathered her stuff together and went through the last of her closing routine. Lights shut off, keys in hand, she started to put the cash in one pouch and the credit card receipts in the other. Remembering the only proof that Steve had really been there that day, she went to search for the lost piece of paper. Clutching it in her hand, she studied it and let out a yelp at what she read. Throwing her fist in the air and vibrating with happiness, she ran out the front door and around the side of the building to reiterate to mom everything that happened.  
  
_I'll be back soon._

**Author's Note:**

> I took liberties for some things, but tried to be as accurate as I could. Please be kind and drop me a comment and/or kudo. You can find me on tumblr at goodgreycious.tumblr.com! Also, this story WILL BE two chapters so if I haven't posted in a week, feel free to also use my Tumblr to yell at me .Talk to me there too, I promise I'm nice.


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